Electronic information system and program of the same

Abstract

To provide an electronic information system and a program of the same which enable an instrument to achieve a desired function more surely than before without touching the instrument directly.SOLUTION: A user makes a gesture in which an object such as a hand for instance is raised so that the object passes in front of a second window part 32 at which a gesture sensor of a laser detection device 10 is arranged. This enables the laser detection device 10 to operate without touching the device directly. A speaker of the laser detection device 10 issues different sound accompanying recognition of the gesture, and when the gesture includes a gesture for enabling predetermined processing to be executed, the speaker outputs sound in accordance with the predetermined processing, which enables the user to understand contents of the processing by the sound.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic information system and a program therefor. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional electronic information systems include electronic devices that can acquire driving-related information, such as navigation devices mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and bicycles, and microwave receivers (radar detectors) mounted on automobiles. In addition, electronic information systems that can acquire various information used daily include electronic devices such as smartphones and personal computers. In these electronic information systems, the user obtains information by pressing an input switch attached to the device to input information, or by actually touching and operating the operating means with his / her hand, etc. Patent documents 1 and 2 are cited as examples of such electronic information systems equipped with conventional input means and operating means. The electronic device of Patent Document 1 is a drive recorder device that is attached to the windshield inside an automobile with double-sided tape, etc. The drive recorder device includes a switch unit 20, a display unit 21, and a volume dial 23, as shown in FIG. The electronic device in Patent Document 2 is a microwave detection device that also serves as a rear-view mirror, which is attached to the rear-view mirror that is installed in automobiles by default. This device displays various information on a display panel 13 that is part of the mirror surface by touching a touch screen 16 that also serves as the mirror surface and performing an input operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-105530 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-66640 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the drive recorder device of Patent Document 1, for example, the volume dial 23 as an operating means is attached to the housing as a separate part, so the weight of the volume dial 23 and related parts is added, and the weight of the device as a whole increases. Such an increase in weight is not desirable when attaching to the windshield by such an adhesive method. In addition, the increase in the number of parts leads to high costs. On the other hand, in the microwave detection device of Patent Document 2, the touch screen 16 that also serves as the mirror surface serves as the operating means, so there are fewer parts related to operation and the device is lighter, but input cannot be made unless the mirror surface is actually touched, and there is a risk that the mirror surface will become dirty by touching it. For this reason, there has been a demand for a means that can obtain information without directly touching the device, while eliminating or reducing the need for an operating member for obtaining information in an electronic information system. To this end, there is a device that recognizes a user's gesture and performs a predetermined process based on the recognition result. However, with such a device, for example, the user can only know that his / her gesture was correct when a notification is given indicating whether the gesture was recognized or not, or when a notification is given from the device that a predetermined process corresponding to the gesture has started, and there is a problem that it is difficult to determine whether the user's gesture action is correct and recognizable by the device while making the gesture. For example, even when the gesture is in a state where the device cannot recognize it, there are cases where the user thinks that the device can recognize the gesture and tries the same gesture many times. For example, there is a significant problem in cases where the gesture action is recognizable by the device, but the gesture action cannot be recognized because the recognition target, such as the user's hand, is in a position where the device cannot recognize it. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide an electronic information system and a program therefor that can cause equipment to realize desired functions more reliably than before without directly contacting the equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, it is preferable that the electronic information system which performs a predetermined process based on the recognition result of a gesture by a user as the means 1 is provided with a control means which controls the output of a sound during the recognition of the gesture. With such a configuration, the user can know by sound that the gesture is being recognized. Therefore, the device can execute the desired processing more reliably than before. Therefore, the device can realize the desired function more reliably than before. Furthermore, for example, when the gesture is not being recognized, at least one of a configuration that outputs a sound different from that during gesture recognition, or a configuration that does not output a sound is preferably provided. In this way, the user can know by sound whether the gesture is being recognized or not. In addition, since a sound is output during gesture recognition, gesture training is also possible by making a gesture to output this sound. Furthermore, a sound indicating whether the gesture recognition has been successful or not may be output, and the sound indicating whether the gesture recognition has been successful or not may be different from the sound output during the gesture recognition. In this way, the user can know more reliably whether the gesture is being recognized or not and whether the gesture recognition has been successful or not. Therefore, the user can know more reliably whether the gesture is being recognized or not by sound, and it is also possible to train the gesture so that the user can surely realize the desired function, such as making a gesture to output a sound indicating that the gesture is being recognized, and practicing to output a sound indicating that the gesture has been successful as a result.

[0006] Here, "performing a predetermined process based on the recognition result of a gesture" may be, for example, a configuration in which a predetermined process is performed according to the form of the gesture after the gesture is recognized, and may be, for example, a configuration in which a predetermined process is realized using a certain gesture as input information. Here, the "predetermined process" may be, for example, a configuration in which information is provided from an electronic information system as a result of recognizing a gesture. More specific predetermined processes may be, for example, auditory processes such as generating a sound or changing the volume. Sounds may include, for example, alarm sounds, information transmission by voice guidance such as "be careful" and music, regardless of whether they have a scale. Also, for example, visual processes may be displayed on a display screen, erase the displayed information, change the displayed information, and the like. Also, a configuration in which the recognition result of a gesture drives some kind of actuator to perform mechanical or hydraulic / pneumatic control. For example, a lock device may be unlocked or locked, or a door may be opened or closed. A configuration in which a plurality of different gestures are recognized and different functions are realized depending on the recognized gesture. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of different gestures are recognized and different processes are performed according to the recognized gestures. In particular, in a configuration having a function of recognizing a plurality of different gestures and performing different processes according to the recognized gestures, a configuration may be adopted in which different sounds are output during the recognition of the different gestures. In this way, the user can understand which processes may be executed during the recognition of the gestures. In particular, a configuration may be adopted in which different sounds are output during the process of the different gestures. In this way, the user can determine whether the gesture is being correctly recognized during the process until the gesture recognition is completed. Therefore, when a gesture is recognized as an incorrect gesture, it is possible to prevent an unintended process from being executed and an unintended function from being realized during the gesture by stopping the gesture midway when the gesture is recognized as an unintended gesture. The "during gesture recognition" may be, for example, a part of the gesture recognition, a large part of the gesture recognition, or the entire gesture recognition. In particular, the "during gesture recognition" may be the period during which the gesture recognition process is capable of recognizing the gesture. In particular, sound may be output continuously while the gesture recognition process is capable of recognizing the gesture. In particular, even in a configuration in which sound is changed during recognition, sound may be output continuously without interruption when changing the sound. In this way, when the gesture recognition sound starts, the user knows that the gesture recognition has started, and when the gesture recognition sound stops, the user knows that the gesture recognition has stopped. This allows the user to more reliably achieve the desired function, and makes gesture training even easier. The "electronic information system" may be, for example, a system that is mounted in a vehicle, carried by a user, or installed indoors and that the user can access to obtain information. Examples of electronic information systems mounted in a vehicle may be electronic devices such as navigation devices, radar detection devices, and drive recorders. Examples of electronic information systems that are carried by a user or installed indoors may be smartphones, personal computers, TV devices, AV devices, etc.

[0007] As means 2, it is preferable that the control means outputs sounds at different timings during gesture recognition. In this way, by outputting the sound not only once but multiple times at different timings, the user can more reliably know that the gesture is being recognized. In particular, the "different timings" may be timings that indicate the gesture recognition process. In this way, the user can understand the gesture recognition process from whether or not the different sounds are output. In addition, for example, the "different timings" may be timings at which a change in the position of the object to be recognized is detected. In this way, the user can easily know whether the object is moving to an appropriate position by the sound. In addition, the sounds output at different timings may be configured to create different sound patterns according to the predetermined processing, for example. In this way, the user can easily understand and confirm the contents of the predetermined processing from the sound patterns. In addition, even if the user does not actually recognize the contents of the predetermined processing, the user can understand that various sound patterns are output in relation to the predetermined processing, and can feel an unprecedented interest in the operation compared to actually touching the operating means. As a third means, it is preferable that the sounds output at different times include different kinds of sounds. In this way, by outputting different types of sounds as sounds output at multiple different timings, a variety of sound patterns can be produced, improving the user's ability to recognize sound patterns. Examples of "different types of sounds" include sounds with different tones (high and low), different sound qualities (timbres), or sounds of different types mixed together. Even sounds with the same tone can be recognized as different types by changing the sound quality. As with the above, even if the user does not actually recognize the content of a specific process in relation to the sound, the user can understand that different types of sounds are being output in relation to the specific process, and can feel a new level of interest in the operation compared to actually touching the operating means. As the fourth means, it is preferable that the sounds output at different timings include different kinds of sounds corresponding to differences in approach distances to the gesture detection means for recognizing the gesture. By generating different kinds of sounds according to the difference in approach distance in this way, the user can recognize the degree of approach to the gesture detection means by the sounds. Even if the user does not actually recognize the relationship between the sound and the degree of approach, the different kinds of sounds are outputted in association with the gesture, so that the user can feel an unprecedented interest in the operation compared to actually touching the operation means. There are several types of detection devices as the "gesture detection means". For example, the gesture sensor can use a detection device equipped with a gesture sensor that detects the movement of the object by applying infrared light from an infrared emitting element to the object and capturing the change in the reflected light with a light receiving element, a detection device equipped with a gesture sensor that uses ultrasonic waves instead of infrared rays, a detection device equipped with a gesture sensor that uses a change in capacitance due to a gesture, etc. The approach distance is preferably the distance between the recognition object and the detection device of the gesture detection means. The recognition object can be various objects, such as a rod, but it is preferably a part of the human body. In particular, it is preferably a hand.

[0008] As the means 5, it is preferable that the control means outputs the sound based on a gesture that stops for a certain period of time or more. Such a gesture of stopping is very easy for the user to understand and can be easily learned, so it may be a gesture to be performed by the user. The certain period of time for stopping, which is a condition for outputting sound, is a length that allows the user to understand that the sound has stopped, and may be, for example, about several seconds. For example, this length may be changed by changing the settings. In addition, the stopping position may be detected anywhere in an area having a certain width as long as the gesture detection means can detect the action. For example, it may be close or far from the gesture detection means. The same predetermined process may be performed regardless of the approach distance to the gesture detection means, but it is preferable to perform different predetermined processes depending on the approach distance to the gesture detection means. When performing different predetermined processes, it is preferable to output different sounds according to the difference in the process. In this way, the user can easily understand which gesture the stop position during recognition corresponds to and which process is expected to be executed during gesture recognition. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent a process that is not intended by the user from being executed as a result of the gesture being recognized as being different from the user's intention. Furthermore, the user can easily understand which gesture will be recognized and which process will be executed if the user stops at which position. As the means 6, it is preferable that the control means outputs the sound based on a gesture of stopping for a certain period of time or more after a movement. The gesture of stopping the gesture for a certain period of time after such a movement is also very easy for the user to understand and can be easily learned, so it may be a gesture to be performed by the user. Specifically, for example, it may be a gesture of moving the gesture so as to cross in front of the gesture detection means and stopping the gesture at a position where the gesture can be detected.

[0009] Also, as means 7, it is preferable to associate a gesture pattern with an output sound. This allows the user to understand the contents of a predetermined process by listening to a certain sound pattern that is output when a certain gesture is executed. Even if the user does not actually recognize the contents of the predetermined process, the user can understand that various sound patterns are output in relation to the predetermined process. In addition, compared to actually touching the operating means, the user can feel a new interest in the operation. Here, the "sound" may be, for example, a melody that is output by outputting a certain scale sound only once or multiple times, or the same scale or melody may be output in a pattern that differs only in sound quality. In this way, the user can easily understand which gesture pattern corresponds to which sound and which process is expected to be executed based on the sound during gesture recognition. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent a process that is not intended by the user from being executed as a result of the gesture being recognized as being different from the user's intention. Also, as means 8, it is preferable to output a plurality of identical sounds according to the detected distance while the gesture is being recognized, regardless of the gesture pattern. This allows the user to recognize that the gesture has stopped at a certain distance, for example when the user performs a gesture to stop, by the repetition of the same sound. This makes it possible to objectively recognize whether the gesture has "stopped" even if, for example, the user's hands are shaking or vibrating and the user is unable to stop the gesture properly. Also, as the means 9, it is preferable that different types of sounds are output for different predetermined processes after the gesture is recognized, in accordance with the difference between the predetermined processes executed after the gesture is recognized. This allows the user to understand the contents of the predetermined processing to be performed by listening to the different sounds that are output as a result of executing a certain gesture. Even if the user does not actually recognize the contents of the predetermined processing, the user can understand that various sounds are being output in relation to the predetermined processing. Furthermore, compared to actually touching the operating means, a new level of operational interest can be felt. Here, "sound" may refer to, for example, a certain scale sound being output only once, or a melody being output multiple times, or the same scale or melody being output in a pattern with different sound quality only.

[0010] Also, as the means 10, it is preferable that the control means generates a sound according to the distance when a gesture is made to approach from a distant object. As the means 11, it is preferable that the control means generates a sound according to the distance when a gesture of moving the device away from the object is made. By generating sounds according to the difference in approach distance when a gesture is made to approach from a distance or move away from a distance, the user can recognize the specified processing to be executed by such a gesture by the sound accompanying the gesture. For example, when the object approaches from a distant position below, a certain sound pattern is output and the volume of the device output is increased, and when the object moves away from a distant position below, a different sound pattern is output and the volume is decreased. The sound corresponding to the difference in approach distance may be one or more. Also, different types of sounds may be included. If there are more than one sound, the number of sound patterns increases, making it easier for the user to understand and confirm the contents of the predetermined processing from the sound. The gesture may be a series of gestures that approach from a distance and then move away from the distance.

[0011] As the means 12, it is preferable that the control means generates a sound according to the approaching direction when a gesture is made to approach from a distant position. As the means 13, it is preferable that the control means generates a sound according to the direction of the movement when a gesture of moving the device away from the object is made. As described above, when a gesture is made to approach from a distance or when a gesture is made to move away from a distance, sounds corresponding to the difference in the approach direction are generated, so that the user can recognize the predetermined process executed by such gesture in relation to the sound accompanying the gesture. For example, when approaching from a distant lower position, a certain sound pattern is output and the volume is increased, and when approaching from a distant upper position, a different sound pattern is output and the volume is decreased. Or, when moving away from a distant lower position, a certain sound pattern is output and the light amount of the display screen is increased, and when moving away from a distant upper position, a different sound pattern is output and the light amount of the display screen is decreased. In other words, different gestures are processed with unique sounds, and the user can recognize by listening to the sounds that the process corresponding to the sounds has been performed. Even if the user does not actually recognize the content of the predetermined process in relation to the sounds, the user can understand that various sounds are output in relation to the predetermined process, and the sounds may differ depending on the direction, so that the user can feel a new interest in the operation compared to actually touching the operating means. The sound corresponding to the difference in approach distance may be one or more as described above. Also, different types of sounds may be included.

[0012] Also, the means 14 preferably has a first spatial region in which a gesture by a user can be detected and sound output is controlled. By having such a spatial region, for example, when a user installs a device related to an electronic information system, it is possible to prevent the presence of a member that may hinder a gesture or an object that may be mistakenly recognized as a gesture movement of the user within the spatial region. The first spatial region is generally recognized as an area where the gesture detection means can detect. It is preferable that the approach to the first spatial region is a three-dimensional space at an equal distance from the gesture detection means. Also, it is preferable that the means 15 is capable of changing the detectable distance of the first spatial region. With this configuration, it is possible to narrow the first spatial region to take into account situations where there is a component that may interfere with the gesture or an object that may be mistaken for the user's gesture movement, or conversely, to widen the first spatial region so that the gesture is as easy to detect as possible even if the user is far away from the device when making the gesture. This makes it possible to set the first spatial region according to the situation. Also, as means 16, it is preferable that the control means controls so as to expand the first spatial region to a relatively wide spatial region in a predetermined information mode, and to reduce the first spatial region to a relatively narrow spatial region in other information modes than the predetermined information mode. Such a configuration contributes to the ease of gestures of the user when responding to a predetermined information mode. The predetermined information mode may include, for example, a mode in which an operation with a higher urgency is performed than in cases other than the predetermined information mode. For example, the predetermined information mode may include a "state in which an alarm is issued while driving a car." Specifically, for example, an alarm is issued from a radar detection device as an electronic device to the effect that some road traffic information (for example, an N system, etc.) has been detected. In this case, after the user recognizes this alarm, the user may wish to cancel the alarm state since the alarm is no longer necessary. In other words, although the information is necessary, the user has recognized it, so any further information providing operation is excessive and not necessary. In this case, since the user is driving, it is better to make the gesture for cancellation as simple and not exaggerated as possible. Therefore, even if the first spatial region is set to a relatively narrow spatial region so that an operation such as carelessly waving a hand is not recognized as a gesture, the first spatial region is set to a relatively wide spatial region in response to the alarm notification, so that the user can make a gesture without having to reach out very far.

[0013] Also, it is preferable that the means 17 has a second spatial region in which the moving direction of a gesture by the user can be detected and sound output is controlled. By having such a spatial region, for example, it is possible to recognize the direction from which the user's hand making a gesture comes and the direction to which it is going, and therefore it is possible to select different predetermined processes according to the direction. The user can recognize the predetermined process in relation to the sound according to the direction. Even if the user does not actually recognize the contents of the predetermined process in relation to different sounds, the user can understand that various sounds are being output in relation to the predetermined process, and can feel an unprecedented interest in operation compared to actually touching the operating means. For example, when moving from a far downward position to an upward position, a certain sound pattern is output and the volume is increased, and when moving from a far upward position to a downward position, a different sound pattern is output and the volume is decreased. The direction of movement in the second spatial region may be not only a 360-degree direction in a plane, but may also include a three-dimensional direction, thereby increasing the variation in the direction of movement. Also, it is preferable that the means 18 is capable of changing the detectable distance of the second spatial region. With this configuration, the user can narrow the second spatial area to take into account situations where there is a component that may interfere with the gesture or an object that may be mistaken for the user's gesture movement, or conversely, widen the second spatial area so that the gesture is as easily detected as possible even if the user is far away from the device when making the gesture.This allows the user to set the optimal gesture environment for executing a specified process. As the means 19, it is preferable that the second spatial region is located inside the first spatial region. As a result, when a gesture is made, the gesture is first recognized in the first spatial area, and then when the gesture enters the second spatial area, it is determined which direction it is approaching from. Because the spatial areas are not separate but overlap in this way, the spatial area in which the user makes gestures does not expand unnecessarily, which contributes to making the area in which the gestures are made more compact. Also, conversely, if the second spatial area was outside the first spatial area, entering the first spatial area would require entering the second spatial area, which has a directional approach, and this could result in a predetermined processing mode that the user did not intend.

[0014] Also, it is preferable that the means 20 changes the volume set as the predetermined process. This is an example of a specific predetermined process. In other words, the control is performed to output sound while the gesture is being recognized, and the volume is changed when the gesture is recognized. This eliminates the trouble of the user having to search for a volume control and operate it to change the volume. A more specific example of control would be to increase the volume by a certain amount with a gesture of movement from one direction to another (for example, holding a hand from bottom to top over the gesture detection means; the user could also hold an object other than a hand whose movement can be recognized), and to decrease the volume by a certain amount with a gesture of movement from one direction to another (for example, holding a hand from top to bottom). Also, special gestures may be used to change the volume by a non-fixed amount, for example by changing the speed of a movement of a hand from one direction to another to increase the change in volume, or by stopping the movement midway to change the volume continuously.

[0015] Also, it is preferable that the means 21 suppresses notification of the information currently being notified as the predetermined process. This is also an example of a specific predetermined process. In other words, control is performed to output a sound while the gesture is being recognized, and the currently notified alarm information is suppressed by the recognition of the gesture. This allows the user to cancel the notification of unnecessary information with a simple action. Here, "notification of alarm information" refers to, for example, an alarm sound, an alarm voice guidance, or a display of the alarm on the display screen. "Suppressing the notification" means reducing the volume or making it silent in the case of an audio notification, and reducing the brightness or turning off the display screen in the case of a visual notification. An example of an alarm while driving a car will be described. For example, when an electronic device issues an alarm to the effect that some road traffic information (such as an N system) has been detected from a radar detection device, the user may want to cancel the alarm notification state, since after recognizing the alarm, the user no longer needs the alarm to be continued. In other words, although the information is necessary, since the user has recognized it, any further information is excessive and unnecessary. In this case, it is meaningful to suppress the alarm sound. To give a more specific example of control, the user places their hand (not necessarily their hand as described above) over a detectable position (for example, the first spatial region described above) and makes a gesture to stop the device at that position for a predetermined period of time. By recognizing this gesture, the currently sounded alarm is stopped. At this time, for example, if the detectable region set by the user is narrow, the region may be controlled to be temporarily widened to make it easier to detect. This is because it is preferable to have a wide range in order to operate quickly according to the situation.

[0016] Also, it is preferable that the means 22 displays information on a display screen as the predetermined process. This is also an example of a specific predetermined process. In other words, sound output is controlled while the gesture is being recognized, and information is displayed on the display screen when the gesture is recognized. This eliminates the trouble of the user having to search for an operating means for displaying information on the display screen and then operate it to change the volume. Also, it is preferable that the means 23 changes the information displayed on the display screen as the predetermined process. This is also an example of a specific predetermined process. In other words, sound output is controlled while the gesture is being recognized, and the information displayed on the display screen is changed when the gesture is recognized. This eliminates the trouble of the user having to search for an operating means for changing the information on the display screen and then operate it to change the volume.

[0017] Also, as means 24, it is preferable that the control means displays a first display mode as a starting point on the display screen, changes to another display mode based on the recognition result of a predetermined gesture, and then controls the display screen to display the first display mode again based on the recognition result of the predetermined gesture. This shows a control to return to the first display mode which is the initial screen as a result of performing gestures one after another. With such a configuration, the user can easily understand the appearance order of the display modes which can be changed by gestures based on the appearance order of the first display mode. This is advantageous when the first display mode has many setting screens. In addition, as the means 25, it is preferable that the electronic device mounted on the vehicle also serves as a rear-view mirror, and that the gesture by the user is performed in front of the rear-view mirror. This is because mounting an electronic device for vehicle installation on the rearview mirror contributes to space saving inside the vehicle and allows operations for performing predetermined processes without touching the rearview mirror. In addition, since the rearview mirror is located near the user, who is the driver, it can be used as a rearview mirror, and gestures can be easily made in front of it, eliminating the need to place the electronic device near the user inside the narrow vehicle. The rearview mirror may be an electronic device that is installed by default in the vehicle, or it may be an external rearview mirror.

[0018] In addition, it is preferable that the housing equipped with the gesture detection means as the means 26 is equipped with a collision reduction means for reducing the collision of the recognition object with the housing when making a gesture. In this way, it is possible to reduce the collision of the recognition object with the housing during the gesture. The collision reduction means may be, for example, at least one of a collision prevention means that is a means for preventing a collision, and a shock absorbing means that is a means for absorbing a shock when the recognition object collides with the housing in the event of a collision. For example, it is preferable to chamfer at least a part of the edge or protruding corner of the housing having the gesture detection means for recognizing the gesture. In this way, by forming the ridges and corners that protrude outward in a chamfered shape, even if an object that makes a gesture, for example, a user's finger, accidentally hits the housing, the finger does not hurt and the housing is less likely to be damaged. When forming the chamfered shape, it is preferable to make a curved surface with as few discontinuous parts as possible. In addition to this (or alone), the housing may be surrounded by a material that has a cushioning effect (for example, elastic synthetic rubber, etc.). In particular, if a configuration is provided with the configuration of means 1 and the configuration of means 28, for example, it is possible to know that a gesture is being recognized by sound and to reduce the collision of the recognition target with the housing during gesture recognition. For example, if a sound is made during gesture recognition, it is possible that a user may make a gesture without looking at the housing equipped with the gesture detection unit, and at that time, there is a possibility that the recognition target may hit the housing, but this can reduce such a risk. Also, as the means 27, it is preferable to provide a portion where a protective member is removed in at least a part of the gesture detection direction of a housing having a gesture detection means for recognizing a gesture. The protective member may be, for example, a thin film made of transparent plastic, such as polyethylene, and the user may often use the device without removing it in order to avoid damaging the device. However, the adhesiveness of the protective member to the device may decrease over time, and the protective member may peel off partially. In this case, the peeled protective member may swing within the detection range of the gesture detection means, and may cause an operation that is mistaken for a gesture. This may cause a malfunction. Therefore, for example, at the time of shipping, the part of the protective member that is likely to peel off may be removed in advance, or the part that may enter the detection range of the gesture detection means when peeled off may be removed, so that the peeled protective member will not interfere with the user's gesture, and the user will not have to go through the trouble of removing the peeled part. In addition, the protective member may be a protective member for a housing having the gesture detection means during transportation. In particular, the electronic information system may be provided with a member that is gazed upon by the user during use, and the protective member may be a protective member for the member that is gazed upon during use. For example, the member that is gazed upon during use may be, for example, a mirror or a display unit. This is because components that are closely monitored during use like this need to be protected especially during transportation. The protective member may be provided across the gesture detection direction of the gesture detection means and the display unit, and a portion from which the protective member has been removed may be provided for at least a part of the gesture detection direction. In a configuration in which the gesture detection direction of the gesture detection means is not at the center of the protective member but is closer to an end, the protective member may be provided for at least a part of the gesture detection direction. This is because the protective member is particularly susceptible to peeling off from the side closer to the end, and there is a high possibility that the peeled protective member will interfere with the user's gestures.

[0019] Also, the means 28 may comprise a shielding means for making it difficult to visually recognize the gesture detection means from the outside for at least a part of the housing having the gesture detection means for recognizing the gesture. It is good in terms of design that the gesture detection means stored in the housing is not easily visible from the outside. However, since the gesture detection means may have a window-like opening in the housing for performing a detection operation, there is a possibility that the gesture detection means inside the housing may be visible from the outside. Therefore, by providing a shielding means for making the gesture detection means difficult to see on the housing, the user will not be able to see the gesture detection means, and will have a good impression of the housing design. The shielding means is required not to interfere with the detection of the gesture detection means, and for example, when the gesture detection means detects using an optical means such as infrared light, it is preferable to place a transparent body having a property that transmits infrared light detectably and does not transmit visible light by, for example, reflecting or absorbing it. In particular, for example, if a configuration including the configuration of the means 1 and the configuration of the means 28 is used, a sound is generated during gesture recognition, so that the user may find the gesture recognition means more easily than before, or may look at the housing every time a sound is generated, increasing the possibility that the gesture recognition means is perceived as an eyesore, but this can be reduced. Also, as the means 29, it is preferable to provide within the housing a gesture detection means for recognizing a gesture, and a distance shortening means for shortening the distance to an object existing in the gesture detection direction of the gesture detection means to a predetermined value or less. For example, the wall or glass surface of the housing exists as an object in the gesture detection direction of the gesture detection means in the housing. The gesture detection means outputs a detection medium such as infrared rays or ultrasonic waves, but if the distance to the object is long, it may cause a problem in detection. Therefore, by providing a distance shortening means, such a problem can be prevented.

[0020] In addition, as the means 30, when an obstruction that hinders gesture detection is present within a detection area of ​​the gesture detection means that recognizes the gesture, the gesture detection means preferably detects a gesture by a user without detecting the obstruction or without using detection data. This prevents the movement of the obstruction from being mistaken for the user's active gestures, allowing the user to operate the device using gestures without feeling any operational stress, even when placing an obstruction. For example, if an electronic information system is installed in a rearview mirror near the windshield of a vehicle as a system for a vehicle, when a user operates, for example, a sun visor as an obstruction near the windshield, the user can make a gesture even if the sun visor is operated so as to enter the detection area of ​​the gesture detection means. In addition, as the means 31, it is preferable that the gesture detection means for recognizing a gesture does not detect an obstruction based on the obstruction being present in a detection area at a stationary position for a predetermined period of time, or detects a gesture by a user without using detection data. This is a method of detecting a gesture when a specific obstruction is present, and a condition is set for determining that a gesture is not for performing a predetermined process when the obstruction is stopped in the detection area for a predetermined time. The user only needs to place the obstruction so that it stops for a predetermined time, so that gesture operation can be performed without stress in operation. In particular, in a vehicle, objects inside the vehicle are fixed as a rule to ensure safety while driving. Therefore, if there is an object that may enter the gesture recognition area, the object is likely to be fixed after changing its position. For example, in the case of a room mirror type device equipped with a gesture detection means, the position of the sun visor of the vehicle adjacent to the room mirror can be adjusted, but it is fixed after adjustment. In this way, even if an object is moved inside the vehicle, it is normal for it to be stationary at a certain position. Based on such knowledge, it is desirable to have this configuration, especially in a device installed inside the vehicle. As the means 32, it is preferable that the control means performs control so as not to recognize a gesture when an obstructing object is detected as approaching the gesture detection means by a distance greater than a predetermined distance. In this way, since the presence of an obstruction may prevent the gesture area from being secured and the gesture itself from being possible, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by not recognizing the gesture. Also, by placing an obstruction in an area where the user cannot input a gesture, the user can actively stop gesture input at their own will. In addition, it is preferable that the electronic information system as the means 33 is an electronic device mounted on a vehicle. Since electronic devices mounted on a vehicle are often operated while driving, it is advantageous to execute a predetermined process in relation to a sound by a gesture. From the viewpoint of simple operation, it is preferable to provide no means other than gesture detection means as a means for inputting operations to the device from the user. It is also advisable to reduce the area of ​​the front surface of the device (particularly the surface of the device having a display means or a mirror or other means for the user to see) and not provide other operation input means, which allows functions other than operation input to be realized. Also, as the means 34, it is preferable to provide a display on the housing that enables the user to recognize the directions of a plurality of different gestures that can be detected by the gesture detection means. This allows the user to easily understand the direction of the gesture. The display may be made, for example, by printing or may be three-dimensionally shaped during plastic molding. Also, the means 35 may preferably be a program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the control means in the electronic information system. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain information as a result of a predetermined process without directly touching the device. In addition, since gestures are accompanied by sounds, the content of the predetermined process can be understood by the sounds. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a front perspective view of a radar detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the same radar detection device with the front plate removed. [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the radar detection device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an image of a sound output reference area and a movement direction determination area that serve as a basis for calculation when the gesture sensor recognizes a gesture and outputs a sound; [Figure 6] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the relationship between the position of an object and sound when the object moves within a sound output reference area and a movement direction determination area. [Figure 7] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the relationship between the position of an object stopped within a sound output reference area and a movement direction determination area and the sound. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a gesture of passing the front face of the gesture sensor from below to above; [Figure 9] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a gesture of passing over the front surface of the gesture sensor from below to above and then stopping; [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a gesture of passing the front face of the gesture sensor from above to below; [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a gesture in which a user passes over the front surface of the gesture sensor from above to below and stops there; [Figure 12] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a gesture of passing the front face of the gesture sensor from left to right; FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a gesture of passing in front of the gesture sensor from left to right and stopping; FIG. [Figure 14] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a gesture of passing in front of the gesture sensor from right to left; FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a gesture of passing in front of the gesture sensor from right to left and stopping; FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a gesture that is stopped in front of the gesture sensor. [Figure 17] FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram that illustrates the process when there is some kind of obstruction within the sound output reference area, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram that illustrates the process when there is some kind of obstruction within the sound output reference area after the offset calculation has started. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for temporarily changing the sensor response range to a default state when an alarm is issued. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a gesture sensor of a stationary radar detection device 50 according to another embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a protective sheet for protecting the mirror surface of the radar detection device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a radar detection device 10, which is an electronic device embodying an electronic information system according to the present invention, will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a radar detection device 10 that also serves as a vehicle rearview mirror according to the present embodiment. In this radar detection device 10, a thin rectangular parallelepiped housing 13 is formed from a main body case 11 and a front plate 12 attached to the front of the main body case 11. Four corners 13a of the housing 13 are chamfered to a curved surface (so-called radiused), and a front corner periphery 13b of the front plate 12, which is a protruding corner, is also chamfered all around. A pair of left and right fixing clamps 14 are formed at a predetermined interval on the rear surface of the main body case 11. A power switch (not shown) is provided at a lower position of the main body case 11, and a slot 16 for inserting a microSD card is formed at a side position of the main body case 11. As shown in FIG. 2, a control board 17 is provided inside the main body case 11. The control board 17 has a horizontally elongated outer shape that roughly corresponds to the front shape of the main body case 11. In this embodiment, the control board 17 is configured as one board, but it may be configured as two or more boards.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a speaker device 20 is disposed in the recessed space 19 of the main body case 11 as an informing means. The speaker device 20 is connected to the control board 17 and outputs a predetermined sound (audio) under the control of a control unit 35 described later. The speaker device 20 is fitted into a storage space 21 formed in the main body case 11, and is attached so that an oscillation surface 20a (a surface from which sound is output) of the vibrator faces the rear direction of the main body case 11. A horn 23 extending downward is connected to the storage space 21, and a sound outlet 25 formed at the lower end of the horn 23 is exposed at a position adjacent to the power switch, that is, at a central lower position of the main body case 11. The horn 23 creates a sound transmission space in which the passage is completely enclosed. Therefore, the sound (audio) output toward the main body case 11 is reflected by the wall surface of the main body case 11, amplified in the horn 23, and reaches the outside from the sound outlet 25. Since the radar detection device 10 is attached to the rearview mirror that is installed in the vehicle by default, the sound outlet 25 is located at the bottom of the housing 13, close to the ears of the user (the driver), and the sound is amplified, making it very easy for the user to hear. 2, a sensor board 28 mounting a gesture sensor 27 as a gesture detection means is connected as a separate entity via a BtoB connector (not shown) onto the control board 17. The total thickness of the control board 17, the BtoB connector, the sensor board 28, and the gesture sensor 27 is taken into consideration so that the distance between the front surface of the gesture sensor 27 as a gesture detection means and the rear surface of the mirror section 30 on the front plate 12 side is within a very close predetermined range (0.7 mm or less in this embodiment).

[0025] A mirror section 30 is disposed on the front surface of the front plate 12. The mirror section 30 is configured by forming a reflective film on the surface of a transparent glass substrate by deposition processing (chrome deposition in this embodiment) and forming a black light-shielding print on the back surface. The radar detection device 10 is attached to the vehicle's room mirror by a fixing clamp section 14, and at that time, the background is projected onto the mirror section 30 so that the driver can check behind. A first window section 31 and a second window section 32 are formed in a part of the front plate 12 and the mirror section 30, adjacent to each other near the right end when viewed from the front. The first window section 31 is rectangular in shape according to the outer shape of the display panel 18, and the second window section 32 is smaller than the first window section 31 in accordance with the size of the gesture sensor 27 and is rectangular in shape with rounded corners. The first and second windows 31 and 32 are areas where the above-mentioned light-shielding print is not formed and only a reflective film is formed on the surface of the substrate. Therefore, light can be transmitted inside and outside the housing 13 at the positions of the first and second windows 31, 32. The display panel 18 is disposed facing the first window 31, and the gesture sensor 27 is disposed facing the second window 32. The second window 32 serves as a path for projecting and receiving infrared light when infrared light emitted from the gesture sensor 27 is reflected by an object and returns. The shapes and positions of these windows 31, 32 can be changed as appropriate. Marks 33 are formed around the second window 32 in the mirror 30 to indicate the gesture direction and to inform the user of the position where the gesture is to be made. The marks 33 are arranged on all four sides, top, bottom, left and right, surrounding the second window 32, and are in the shape of mountain-shaped broken lines bent to be convex outward, and the four marks 33 are arranged in an orderly manner to give the impression of a vertically elongated diamond shape as a whole. The marks 33 are printed by partially cutting out the light-shielding print on the back surface of the mirror 30, so that they can be seen as transparent parts that are not printed (however, the reflective film on the surface is covered). The front plate 12 is arranged at a slight distance from the mirror 30 near the second window 32 of the mirror 30, so that when the marks 33 are seen from the front of the mirror 30, the front plate 12 behind them can be seen at a distance through the gaps in the marks 33, and the marks 33 are recognized by the user with a three-dimensional effect, making them more noticeable than simple printing.

[0026] Next, the electrical configuration inside the main body 11 of the radar detection device 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 4. Note that configurations that are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted, but it is preferable to adopt, for example, a configuration similar to that of the conventional one. The control unit 35 as a control means is composed of a CPU, memories such as ROM and RAM connected to the CPU, various peripheral circuits, interfaces, etc. The display panel 18, the speaker device 20, the gesture sensor 27, the GPS receiver 37, the microwave receiver 38, the wireless receiver 39, the microSD card reader 40, etc. are connected to the control unit 35. The ROM of the control unit 35 stores various programs such as a GPS information processing program for processing GPS information received by the GPS receiver 37, a microwave judgment program for judging microwaves (radar waves) received by the microwave detector 38, a radio wave judgment program for judging radio waves received by the radio receiver 39, a gesture judgment program for judging a gesture performed by the gesture sensor 27, a gesture-based processing mode transition program for outputting a sound corresponding to the gesture detection result (recognition result) from the speaker device 20 and transitioning to a predetermined processing mode corresponding to the gesture judgment result, a standby screen display program for displaying a predetermined standby screen on the display unit 17, and an OS (Operation System).

[0027] The control unit 35 executes each function such as a GPS warning function, a radar wave warning function, and a wireless warning function, which are basic functions of the radar detection device 10. The control unit 35 also controls the output of a sound in response to the detection (recognition) of a gesture within the detection range of an object, such as a hand held by a user or an object held in the hand, which is recognized by the gesture sensor 27 as an object, and executes the following processing. In this embodiment, the recognized gestures include a gesture of linearly moving a hand or an object from right to left, left to right, bottom to top, or top to bottom across the front of the gesture sensor 27. The gesture also recognizes a gesture of stopping for a predetermined time within a predetermined detection range of the gesture sensor 27 (i.e., a predetermined detection state). In this embodiment, the processes controlled by the control unit 35 as a result of recognizing a gesture by the gesture sensor 27 are: 1) changing the volume; 2) changing the standby screen; 3) changing the setting screen; 4) transitioning from the standby screen to the setting screen; and 5) transitioning from the setting screen to the standby screen.

[0028] The gesture sensor 27 in this embodiment is a known gesture sensor that detects two gestures, an approaching state and a moving state of an object (it also serves as a proximity sensor to detect the approaching state). As a specific configuration, the gesture sensor 27 is equipped with an infrared emitting LED and four photosensors, and each photosensor detects light irradiated from the infrared emitting LED that hits an object and is reflected, and obtains a change in the amount of light as a numerical value for each photosensor, and calculates the distance to the object and the moving direction of the object based on a predetermined arithmetic expression using these numerical values ​​as parameters. The distance to the object can be calculated as the sum of the numerical values ​​of the four photosensors, and the moving direction of the object can be calculated by obtaining the difference between the numerical values ​​of the photosensors obtained at different times. It is possible to obtain the distance to the object and the moving direction of the object within the range of the detection ability of the gesture sensor 27, but here, a predetermined spatial area is set as follows with the gesture sensor 27 as the center (actually, it is determined by the numerical value of the sensor), and sound output control and predetermined processing are performed based on this area.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5, the coordinates of z_th (_th represents a threshold value) are set at an equal distance from the gesture sensor 27, based on the virtual plane p on which the gesture sensor 27 exists. "Equal distance" means a distance at which it can be determined that the light quantity data (detection values) detected by the gesture sensor 27 are equal. In this embodiment, this z_th is the reference for outputting sound. Hereinafter, the hemispherical spatial region surrounded by z_th is referred to as the sound output reference region Z. In addition, an area surrounded by a truncated pyramid turned upside down within the sound output reference area Z is obtained. The area surrounded by the truncated pyramid is an area surrounded by four line segments E1 to E4 that connect the four corners of the upper base on z_th that are equidistant from the plane p to the four corners of the lower base that are the intersections with the plane p near the gesture sensor 27. The coordinates on each line segment are (+x_th, +y_th) (+x_th, -y_th) (-x_th, +y_th) (-x_th, -y_th). The moving direction of the object is detected based on the coordinates in the x and y directions calculated in the space inside the truncated pyramid. This is an area set to make it easier to determine whether the object has passed through the origin and to calculate the moving direction of the object when passing through the origin, with the position of the gesture sensor 27 as the origin. Hereinafter, the area surrounded by the truncated pyramid is referred to as a moving direction determination area Q. In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the housing 13 is defined as the x-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to this is defined as the y-axis direction. In addition, since the area is arbitrarily set, the distance z_th can be changed as appropriate within the detection capability of the gesture sensor 27. In this embodiment, the distance z_th can be changed to 100 mm, 60 mm, or 40 mm. As the distance z_th is changed, the size of the movement direction determination area Q existing inside it also changes. In addition, the shape of the image of the movement direction determination area Q (i.e., the area that determines the movement direction and associates it with a predetermined process) is not limited to the above and can be changed. For example, the movement direction determination area Q may be made to coincide with the sound output reference area Z.

[0030] In the electrical configuration described above, an example of a specific process that the control unit 35 executes based on the result of detection of an object by the gesture sensor 27 will be described below. First, the sound output control executed by the control unit 35 based on the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 will be described in relation to the target object in some specific gestures. Here, gestures that can determine the "predetermined process" described later will be mainly described as examples, but since the movement of the target object is not simple, gestures other than those listed below are also possible. Also, from the user's perspective, a gesture may be recognized before the object enters the sound output reference area Z, and the user may recognize the gesture even after the object leaves the sound output reference area Z, but in terms of recognizing a gesture for outputting sound, the object's entry into the sound output reference area Z is considered to be the objective start of the gesture. Similarly, the object's departure from the sound output reference area Z is considered to be the end of the gesture. Furthermore, if the gesture recognition fails (if it is not determined to be a specified gesture), no sound is made, so the fact that a sound is made also means that the movement of the object has been recognized as a gesture.

[0031] (1) First movement of the object during a gesture (part 1) This is the stage where the object approaches the gesture sensor 27 from a distance and enters the sound output standard region Z. Basically, this process always occurs in sound output control. The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27, and when it judges that the value indicates that the object (the "hand" in FIG. 6) is within the sound output standard region Z (when the value exceeds or falls below a certain threshold value), that is, when it judges that the gesture is at the position shown by A in FIG. 6, it causes the speaker device 20 to output the sound of the first scale (here, "re"). The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 at a predetermined timing (every 12 ms in this embodiment), and when it judges that the object is within the sound output standard region Z, it causes the sound of "re" to continue to be output without interruption. On the other hand, when the object does not enter from within the sound output reference area Z in the direction of the movement direction judgment area Q but leaves the sound output reference area Z, the control unit 35 stops the sound output based on the detection value of the gesture. That is, one possible case is when the object accidentally approaches the gesture sensor 27 and enters the sound output reference area Z, but then reverses and leaves the sound output reference area Z. In that case, the "predetermined process" described later is not selected.

[0032] (2) First movement of the object during the gesture (part 2) This is a state where the gesture has advanced further and passed in front of the gesture sensor 27. The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27, and when it judges that the object has passed through the sound output reference area Z and is in the moving direction judgment area Q (when it exceeds or falls below a certain threshold), that is, when it judges that the gesture is in the position shown in B of FIG. 6, it outputs a sound of a second scale different from (1) (the second scale may be higher than the first scale, and in this case, "Fa#") from the speaker device 20. At this judgment timing, the control unit 35 stops the sound of "Re". In this way, the scale is changed and output in a state where the user can recognize that the sound has changed continuously. The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 at a predetermined timing (every 12 ms in this embodiment), and if it determines that it is within the movement direction judgment area Q, it continues to output the ``Fa#'' sound without interruption. Here, the control unit 35 executes different sound control depending on whether the object in the moving direction judgment area Q "a. crosses the front of the gesture sensor 27 to leave the moving direction judgment area Q" or "b. leaves the moving direction judgment area Q without crossing." In the case of a, the process moves to (3) below. On the other hand, in the case of b, that is, an expected case, for example, an object approaches the gesture sensor 27 by mistake, enters the moving direction judgment area Q in a very short time, turns around, and leaves outside the sound output reference area Z. In this case, the above judgment of (1) occurs, so the control unit 35 changes the sound from "Fa#" to "Re." In addition, in this case, the "predetermined process" described later is not selected.

[0033] (3) First movement of the object during the gesture (part 3) The state is that the object is gradually moving away from the gesture sensor 27. The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27, and when it judges that the value satisfies the condition a. above and that the object is within the sound output reference region Z (when the value exceeds or falls below a certain threshold value), that is, when it judges that the gesture is at the position shown in C of Fig. 6, it outputs a third scale sound (the third scale may be higher than the second scale, and is "La" in this case) different from (1) and (2) from the speaker device 20. At this judgment timing, the control unit 35 stops the sound of "Fa#". In this way, the sound is output by changing the scale in a state where the user can recognize that the sound has changed continuously. The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 at a predetermined timing (every 12 ms in this embodiment), and when it judges that the value is within the sound output reference region Z, it continues to output the sound of "La" without interruption.

[0034] (4) First movement of the object during gesture (part 4) This is a state where the object has passed in front of the gesture sensor 27 and has gone outside the sound output reference area Z. The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27, and when it determines that the condition a above is satisfied and that the value indicates that the object has left the sound output reference area Z (when the value exceeds or falls below a certain threshold value), that is, when it determines that the gesture is at the position shown in D in FIG. 6, it outputs a fourth scale sound different from (1), (2), and (3) from the speaker device 20. Here, the "fourth scale sound" that is output differs depending on the moving direction of the object. This sound is a sound of recognition completion, and the degree between this recognition completion sound and the sound that is being recognized before it is set to be greater than the degree between sounds that change during recognition. It is also desirable that the length of the sound is shorter than the length of the sound that is being generated during recognition. This is determined by the moving direction in the moving direction determination area Q in (2) above. In this embodiment, four movement directions of the object are prepared, namely, "from below to above", "from above to below", "from left to right", and "from right to left", and each of these directions is associated with a sound and a "predetermined process" to be described later. That is, the first gesture is recognized as a different gesture depending on the direction. When the control unit 35 determines that the movement in the movement direction determination area Q is "from below to above", it outputs "So" as a recognition confirmation sound (for example, a start-up process confirmation sound) which is a short "beep" sound that is in a higher pitch range than the highest pitch sound (that is, in this embodiment, the "La" of the third scale) among the sounds output during recognition. Similarly, when it determines that the movement is "from above to below", it outputs "Do". Similarly, when it determines that the movement is "from left to right", it outputs "Re". This "Re" is one octave higher than the "Re" of the first scale. Similarly, when it determines that the movement is "from right to left", it outputs "Mi". These sounds correspond to "processing that differs depending on the moving direction of the object" executed by the control unit 35, which will be described later. When the object moves away from D in Fig. 6 (moves to the right in the figure), the control unit 35 stops the output of the sound based on the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 (that is, when the detection value exceeds or falls below a certain numerical value that is a threshold value). (5) First movement of the object during the gesture (variation of No. 4) After passing in front of the gesture sensor 27, the object goes outside the sound output standard area Z and stops in the vicinity of the area. The control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 at a predetermined timing (every 12 ms in this embodiment), and when it judges that the object has left the sound output standard area Z and is a value that indicates that the object has stayed in the vicinity of the sound output standard area Z, and when a predetermined time (for example, 0.3 seconds) or more has elapsed, that is, when it judges that the gesture has been present at the position shown in D in FIG. 6 for a long time, it causes the control unit 35 to intermittently output a sound corresponding to the four moving directions at a predetermined timing, that is, one of "So", "Do", "Re", and "Mi" that is the same as the above-mentioned recognition confirmation sound. This intermittent sound corresponds to the so-called "long press mode" in the "predetermined process" executed by the control unit 35 to be described later. Then, when the object moves away from D in FIG. 6, similar to (4), the control unit 35 stops outputting the sound based on the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 that is detected (that is, when the value exceeds or falls below a certain threshold value).

[0035] Regarding the four movement directions mentioned above, the movement direction of the object is not necessarily exactly horizontal or vertical. For example, if the object moves diagonally, there are cases where it can be interpreted as either horizontal or vertical. The control unit 35 compares the horizontal and vertical components based on the obtained numerical value and selects the larger of the two to determine whether the movement is horizontal or vertical. The direction of movement is determined when the object leaves the sound output reference region Z (goes outside z_th). In other words, at stage a in (2) above, the predetermined process is merely selected and is not yet determined, but is determined at a later timing based on a certain detection value detected by the gesture sensor 27. Depending on the movement of the object at the position where the "La" sound is output in (3), the predetermined process may be canceled or changed.

[0036] (6) A second movement of the object during the gesture. 7, when the control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 and determines that the object is within the sound output reference area Z (including the moving direction determination area Q) and determines that the object has been stopped for a predetermined time (e.g., 2 seconds) or more, it causes a "crunch" sound of a predetermined pitch, different from any of the above sounds, to be intermittently output from the speaker device 20. The stopped state is determined based on whether the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 does not fluctuate at all or fluctuates only within a narrow numerical range. In addition, the control unit 35 reads the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 at a predetermined timing (every 12 ms in this embodiment), and stops the sound output when the stationary object moves. After the stationary object moves, the sound output control is performed according to the above conditions (1) to (4) depending on the position of the object. Furthermore, as a prerequisite for this stop-based audio output processing, if the object enters the sound output reference area Z and thus meets the above conditions (1) or (2), audio output according to (1) or (2) is also executed.

[0037] When a specific gesture is performed among the above gestures, a predetermined process is selected together with a sound, and the process is then confirmed. Next, the predetermined process executed by the control unit 35 will be described in conjunction with the actual gesture and the sound outputted along with the gesture. In the initial setting, the distance z_th of the sound output reference area Z is set to 10 cm. Also, if the object crosses the moving direction determination area Q very quickly, the difference in the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 cannot be obtained, resulting in an error. In other words, the moving direction becomes indefinite, and as a result, the predetermined process cannot be determined. Therefore, in the following, it is assumed that the moving direction is determined by the object moving at a moderate speed, and the predetermined process is confirmed accordingly. A. Changing the volume (From bottom to top) 8, while maintaining a distance of, for example, 7 cm in front of the front plate 12 of the radar detection device 10, the hand as the object makes a gesture of sliding once from a position below the radar detection device 10, passing in front of the gesture sensor 27, to a position where it has passed above the radar detection device 10. At this time, the control unit 35 determines that the object has made a gesture of sliding once from bottom to top in front of the gesture sensor 27, and increases the volume by one level from the current volume. Then, in conjunction with this gesture, the control unit 35 outputs sounds from the speaker device 20 in the order of "Re" → "Fa#" → "La" → "So" (corresponding to the first movement of the object in the series of gestures described above). On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 9, a hand is passed from a position below the radar detection device 10 to the front of the gesture sensor 27, and then stopped near the upper edge of the housing 13. This position corresponds to a position outside the sound output reference zone Z, close to the sound output reference zone Z. In Fig. 8, the object is far away from the sound output reference zone Z, but in Fig. 9, although the object is outside the set sound output reference zone Z, the difference in the detection value compared to when the object is inside the sound output reference zone Z is very small. When the control unit 35 detects a stopped state at this position for a predetermined stopped time (e.g., 0.3 seconds) or more, it determines that the mode is a so-called "long press" mode, and the control unit 35 controls to continuously increase the volume from the current level. At this time, in conjunction with this gesture (corresponding to "variation 4" above), the control unit 35 outputs intermittent sounds of "Re" → "Fa#" → "La" → "So" in that order from the speaker device 20. The control unit 35 ends the process when the stopped state of the object is released or the volume becomes maximum (a state in which no further changes are possible), and stops the intermittent sounds.

[0038] (From top to bottom) Conversely, as shown in Fig. 10, a gesture is made in which the hand slides once from an upper position on the radar detection device 10, passing in front of the gesture sensor 27, to a position where it has passed below the radar detection device 10. At this time, the control unit 35 determines that there has been a gesture in which the object slides once from above to below in front of the gesture sensor 27, and decreases the volume by one level from the current level. At this time, in conjunction with this gesture, the control unit 35 outputs sounds from the speaker device 20 in the order of "Re" -> "Fa#" -> "Ra" -> "Do" (corresponding to the first movement of the object in the series of gestures described above). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the hand is moved from the upper position of the radar detection device 10 to pass the front of the gesture sensor 27, and then stopped near the lower edge of the housing 13. This position corresponds to the outer position of the sound output standard area Z adjacent to the sound output standard area Z. When the control unit 35 detects a stopped state at this position for a predetermined stopping time (for example, 0.3 seconds) or more, it determines that the mode is a so-called "long press" mode, and controls to continuously decrease the volume from the current state. At this time, in conjunction with this gesture (corresponding to the above "variation 4"), the control unit 35 outputs intermittent sounds of "Re" → "Fa#" → "Ra" → "Do" from the speaker device 20 in that order. When the control unit 35 detects that the stopped state of the object is released or that the volume has reached its maximum (a state in which no further changes are possible), it ends the process and stops the intermittent sound.

[0039] B. Changing the standby screen (From left to right) As shown in Fig. 12, while maintaining a distance of, for example, 7 cm in front of the front plate 12 of the radar detection device 10, the hand as the object makes a gesture of sliding once from the left position of the radar detection device 10 to the position where it passes in front of the gesture sensor 27 and exits to the right of the radar detection device 10. At this time, the control unit 35 determines that the object has made a gesture of sliding once from left to right in front of the gesture sensor 27, and performs a screen display in which the current standby screen displayed on the display screen is removed to the right and the next standby screen in the adjacent hidden position is slid to be displayed on the display screen of the display panel 18. At this time, in conjunction with this gesture, the control unit 35 outputs sounds from the speaker device 20 in the order of "Re" → "Fa#" → "La" → "Re" one octave higher (corresponding to the first movement of the object in the series of gestures described above). The standby screen in this embodiment is looped as follows: calendar → clock → speed → eco driving mode → positioning information → rotation of all standby screens → display off → radar scope → driving mode, etc., and it takes eight movements from the current state to return to the initial standby screen mode. 13, the hand is moved from the left side of the radar detection device 10, passes in front of the gesture sensor 27, and then stops near the right edge of the housing 13. This position corresponds to an outer position of the sound output standard area Z adjacent to the sound output standard area Z. When the control unit 35 detects a stopped state at this position for a predetermined stopping time (e.g., 0.3 seconds) or more, it determines this to be a so-called "long press" mode, and changes and displays the looped standby screens on the display screen one after another. At this time, in conjunction with this gesture (corresponding to "variation 4" above), the control unit 35 outputs intermittent sounds of "Re" → "Fa#" → "La" → "Re" from the speaker device 20. The control unit 35 ends the process when the stopped state of the object is released, and stops the intermittent sounds.

[0040] (From right to left) Conversely, as shown in Fig. 14, the hand is slid once from the right position of the radar detection device 10 to the left of the radar detection device 10. At this time, the control unit 35 judges that the object has made a gesture of sliding once from left to right in front of the gesture sensor 27, and performs a screen display in which the current standby screen displayed on the display screen is removed to the left and the next standby screen in the adjacent hidden position is slid to be displayed on the display screen of the display panel 18. At this time, in conjunction with this gesture, the control unit 35 outputs sounds from the speaker device 20 in the order of "Re" -> "Fa#" -> "Ra" -> "Mi" (corresponding to the first movement of the object in the series of gestures described above). 15, the hand is moved from the right side of the radar detection device 10, passes in front of the gesture sensor 27, and then stops near the left side of the display panel 18. This position corresponds to an outer position of the sound output reference area Z adjacent to the sound output reference area Z. This determines that the mode is a so-called "long press" mode, and the control unit 35 changes and displays the looped standby screens on the display screen one after another. At this time, in conjunction with this gesture (corresponding to the above-mentioned "variation 4"), the control unit 35 outputs intermittent sounds of "Re" → "Fa#" → "La" → "Mi" in that order from the speaker device 20. The control unit 35 ends the process when the stopped state of the object is released, and stops the intermittent sounds.

[0041] C. Transition to the Settings Screen 16, a gesture is made to stop the target object at a distance of, for example, 9 cm in front of the front plate 12 of the radar detection device 10 and directly facing the gesture sensor 27. At this time, the control unit 35 determines that a gesture has been made in which the target object stops in front of the gesture sensor 27 for a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) or more, and transitions the display screen of the display panel 18 from the standby screen displayed in the initial setting to the setting screen. The setting screen of this embodiment starts from ity.MAP, which is the initial screen for transition, and loops in the order of →mode (and its submenu) →brightness (and its submenu) →flex dimmer (and its submenu) →radar alarm sound (and its submenu) →sensor confirmation sound (and its submenu) →sensor response range (and its submenu) →initial setting (and its submenu) →version display →demo mode (and its submenu) →standby screen →ity.MAP. The setting menu to be displayed on the display screen of the display panel 18 can be changed from left to right or from right to left in the same manner as in "B. Changing the standby screen" above. In addition, in the submenu, the setting menu to be displayed on the display screen of the display panel 18 can be changed from bottom to top or from top to bottom in the same manner as in "A. Changing the volume" above. Here, since the standby screen is included in the loop of the setting screen, if you want to return to the standby screen in this transition mode to the setting screen, you can do so by making a gesture on the setting screen without having to turn off the power once. After returning to the standby screen, you will be able to perform the gestures described above in "B. Changing the standby screen." When the control unit 35 detects a stopped state at this position for a predetermined stopping time (e.g., 2 seconds) or more, it causes the speaker device 20 to intermittently output a "crunch" sound (corresponding to the second movement of the object in the gesture) as described in (6) Second movement of the object in the gesture above. In the gesture for changing the setting screen, a sound according to the description of the first movement of the object in the series of gestures (1) to (4) above is output.

[0042] Next, a process to be performed when some obstruction that hinders gesture determination is present within the sound output reference region Z will be described. For example, consider a case where the radar detection device 10 is used inside a vehicle. In that case, the sun visor may be used because the sunlight is too bright. Depending on the mounting position of the radar detection device 10, the sun visor may become an obstruction and enter the sound output reference region Z. The following is a process that allows the user to perform gestures without hindrance even when there is such an obstruction, and recognizes normal gestures after offsetting (subtracting) the detection value based on the amount of light from the obstruction.

[0043] (Determining whether there is an obstruction in the initial state) First, in an initial state where there is no obstruction, the control unit 35 judges the following three conditions. a. When some kind of obstruction (the object is not distinguished here, and the same applies below) enters the sound output reference area Z, and it is determined that a stop occurred for a specified period of time (120 ms) without any specified processing being determined. b. When some obstruction enters the sound output reference area Z and it is determined that the gesture described above in "(6) Second movement of the target object during the gesture" continues for 5 seconds or more. c. When some obstruction enters the sound output reference area Z, and it is determined that the gesture of "(5) First movement of the target object during the gesture (variation of No. 4)" above continues for 8 seconds or more.

[0044] Here, a. is assumed to be a case where no processing mode is entered due to the presence of an obstruction. The reason for setting the time to 120 ms is that the control unit 35 calculates the offset every 120 ms, and this corresponds to the interval. In this case, the control unit 35 calculates to offset the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 that has changed due to the obstruction, and the state of the gesture sensor 27 after the offset is used as the detection reference. Moreover, b. and c. are states in which the display screen or volume has changed due to a transition to some processing mode, and a long time has been set to make it a stop gesture that is different from a normal gesture. In these cases, since an unintended process has been executed due to an obstruction, the control unit 35 forcibly transitions to the standby screen set by default. Similarly, the volume of the sound is forcibly set to the default volume to cancel the process that may have been started due to an unintended input. Then, as in a., the control unit 35 then performs a calculation to offset the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 that has changed due to the obstruction, and the state of the gesture sensor 27 after the offset is used as the detection reference. The above can be explained diagrammatically as shown in FIG.

[0045] (Determining the presence or absence of obstructions during offset calculation) As described above, the offset calculation is started and normal gesture recognition is performed with the amount of light from the obstruction canceled. During gesture recognition, the control unit 35 constantly calculates the offset at a predetermined timing (120 ms) and uses the latest state of the gesture sensor 27 as the detection reference. Here, there are cases where an obstruction that once remained within the sound output standard region Z moves. For example, it is considered that a sun visor may swing or change position depending on the direction of sunlight, or that the object may leave the sound output standard region Z and return to its original position. When an obstruction moves, the control unit 35 judges the following three states. d. If the obstruction moves but the specified action is not determined e. If the obstruction moves and the gesture described above in "(6) Second movement of the object during the gesture" is determined to have continued for 5 seconds or more f. If the obstruction moves and the gesture described above in "(5) First movement of the object during the gesture (variation of No. 4)" is determined to have continued for 8 seconds or more For example, d. assumes a case where an obstruction in the sound output reference region Z slightly shakes due to vibration. In this case, since there is no particular change in the current processing of the radar detection device 10, the control unit 35 performs a calculation to offset the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 at a predetermined timing as described above. In e and f, the gesture is recognized and the display screen or the volume changes due to a transition to some processing mode. In this case, the control unit 35 forcibly transitions to the standby screen as in b and c above, and also forcibly sets the volume of the sound to the default setting, and then performs a calculation to offset the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 at a predetermined timing as described above. The processes executed by the control unit 35 are similar to those in b. and c. above, but their purposes are different. In b. and c., it is a response to the case where an obstacle enters the sound output reference region Z from the outside in the initial state, and it is a response in a state where the offset calculation has not yet been performed, and in e. and f., it is a response when an obstacle enters the sound output reference region Z and the calculation to offset the obstacle is in progress (after the offset calculation has started). The above can be explained diagrammatically as shown in FIG.

[0046] (When an object is blocking the gesture sensor) When an obstruction is placed very close to the gesture sensor 27, a normal gesture cannot be made because there is little space in the space. In other words, detection by the gesture sensor 27 becomes physically impossible. Therefore, assuming such a state, a process is performed to prevent gesture recognition when an obstruction is placed very close to the gesture sensor 27. Specifically, the control unit 35 determines whether or not an obstruction is always present within a predetermined distance (e.g., 3 cm) from the gesture sensor 27 during gesture recognition at a predetermined timing (120 ms) and the obstruction has been stationary for a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) or more. Then, when it is determined that an obstruction is present within the predetermined distance and has been stationary for a predetermined time or more, the control unit 35 cancels the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 in the calculation. In other words, although the gesture sensor 27 recognizes the gesture, it is as if the gesture sensor 27 does not detect anything, and the gesture sensor 27 appears to be in an inoperative state (the detection of the gesture sensor 27 may actually be stopped). On the other hand, when the control unit 35 determines that the gesture sensor 27 has moved a predetermined distance or more, the calculation using the detection value of the gesture sensor 27 is restarted.

[0047] Next, we will explain the process when the user temporarily resets the "sensor response range" set on the settings screen to the default setting (here, a range of 10 cm). This process assumes the following case. When the sensor response range is in the default state, the range is set wide, so there is a possibility that the sensor response range (output reference area Z) may be accidentally touched and some processing may be executed. For this reason, it is preferable that the sensor response range can be set by the user to, for example, normal (6 cm) or narrow (4 cm). However, even in such a case, it is preferable to return the sensor response range to the wide default state in order to operate quickly according to the situation. As an example, the process by the control unit 35 to temporarily widen the "sensor response range" to make it easier to mute the notification when some kind of alarm is issued by the radar detection device 10 will be described here based on the routine of FIG. 18. The control unit 35 executes this routine repeatedly at a predetermined timing. First, in step S10, the control unit 35 judges whether an alarm has been issued, and if it judges that an alarm has been issued, it judges in step S11 whether the current sensor response range is set to 10 cm. If it judges that the sensor response range is set to 10 cm, the process ends once. In other words, there is no particular need to change the sensor response range.

[0048] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that the current sensor response range is not 10 cm (i.e., 6 cm or 4 cm), the sensor response range is controlled to 10 cm in step S12, and the flag is set to "1" in step S13, and the process is temporarily terminated. This temporarily changes the sensor response range to 10 cm. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that no alarm has been issued, it is determined in step S14 whether the flag is "1". If the flag is "1", this means that the sensor response range was temporarily changed to 10 cm in the immediately preceding routine, so the sensor response range is returned to the immediately preceding sensor response range of 6 cm or 4 cm, and the flag is set to "0". On the other hand, if the flag is not "1" in step S14, this means that there was no change in the immediately preceding sensor response range, and the process is terminated. With this type of control, when an alarm is sounded, the sensor response range is temporarily changed to a distance of 10 cm, which is easier for the user to operate, making it easier for the user to reduce the volume with gesture operations. On the other hand, once the alarm is finished sounding, the sensor response range returns to its original range, saving the user the trouble of having to set it again.

[0049] With the above-described configuration, the radar detection device 10 of this embodiment provides the following effects. (1) The radar detection device 10 does not require an input unit or a touch panel composed of, for example, electrostatic switches that are required for operation by actually touching them as in the past, and can be operated by four-way operation plus approach and stop operation, which significantly reduces costs. In addition, since the components such as the input unit are no longer necessary, the weight can also be reduced, making it particularly suitable for installing the radar detection device 10 inside a vehicle that is subject to a lot of vibration. (2) In so-called high-end models with many different functions, detailed settings are required for radar detection devices, so an input unit such as a remote control or a touch panel is necessary. However, in low-end models, which tend to have fewer settings, gesture input is a simple operation and there is no omission, so it is optimal for low-end models. In high-end models, there is no need to install a gesture sensor 27, and even if a gesture function is provided, it is merely an auxiliary input, which increases costs. In other words, it is possible to provide a device such as a radar detection device that does not have any means other than a gesture detection means as a means for inputting operations to the device from the user. (3) The radar detection device 10 also serves as a rearview mirror, but by allowing input by gestures in this way, the switch area on the side of the mirror as in the past is no longer necessary, and the mirror area is relatively larger than in the past, improving the functionality of the rearview mirror for the user. In addition, since the user can operate the mirror without touching it, it is less likely to be dirty with fingerprints, etc. (4) The user can switch the radar detection device 10 to a desired processing mode simply by executing a specific gesture, which is advantageous in terms of operation since there is no need to visually search for an input unit or the like for inputting by actual touch. In addition, if the user is driving, there is no need to search for an input unit or the like, which allows the user to concentrate on driving. (5) Since there is no need to come into contact with the input unit or touch panel that is operated by touch, the housing 13 is less likely to become dirty, and deterioration due to contact can also be prevented. (6) By repeating a gesture several times, the user can learn the gesture pattern that produces the same sound, and can easily select a desired process by executing the gesture. In this case, the user can accurately learn the gesture pattern based on the type of sound and the timing of the output of multiple sounds. (7) If the series of gestures includes a gesture for executing a predetermined process, a sound corresponding to the predetermined process is output, and the user can understand the content of the predetermined process in relation to the sound. (8) Even if there is an obstruction such as a sun visor within the sound output reference area Z that hinders the judgment of gestures, processing is executed to cancel this effect, so that input is possible without any reliable input means, such as an input unit for operation. (9) Even if the user sets the sensor response range to, for example, normal (6 cm) or narrow (4 cm), when an alarm is sounded, the sensor response range is temporarily changed to a distance of 10 cm, which is easier for the user to operate, making it easier for the user to control the volume with gesture operations. On the other hand, when the alarm is finished sounding, the sensor response range returns to the original range, saving the user the trouble of having to set it again. (10) The sound outlet 25 of the speaker device 20 is located at the bottom of the housing 13. Therefore, when the radar detection device 10 is installed in a vehicle, it is close to the ear, and the sound is amplified within the horn 23, making it very easy for the user to hear. (11) The four marks 33 indicating the sensor positions simultaneously indicate the gesture directions (up, down, left, right) for executing a specified process, making it easy for first-time users to understand.

[0050] The present invention may be embodied and implemented in the following manner. In the radar detection device 10 of the above embodiment, the sensor board 28 carrying the gesture sensor 27 is connected to the control board 17 in a layered manner via a BtoB connector (not shown) as a separate body, as shown in Fig. 2. However, when attempting to place the gesture sensor 27 close to the back surface of the mirror unit 30 by such a connection, it is possible that the gesture sensor 27 will be farther away from the mirror unit 30 than expected due to the thickness tolerance of the board, and will not fit within the specified range. For this reason, when arranging a gesture sensor, it is recommended to adopt a configuration as shown in Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a stationary radar detection device 50. The radar detection device 50 has a housing 53 composed of a main body case 51 and a front plate 52. A transparent glass cover 54 is disposed on the front of the front plate 52. A sensor board 56 mounting a gesture sensor 55 is fixed to a stud 57 formed on the front plate 52 by a screw 58. The sensor board 56 is connected to a main board 59 by a flexible cable 60. In this way, the sensor board 56 is fixed directly to the stud 57 on the front plate 52 side, and the distance to the mirror portion 30 is shortened without any other member in between, making it possible to accurately position the gesture sensor 55 in close proximity to the cover 54. Since it is essential that the sensor board 56 is fixed independently to the front plate 52 side, it may be fixed by a fixing means other than the screw 58, such as a clip. Such an installation mechanism for the gesture sensor of the stationary radar detection device 50 may be applied to the configuration of the radar detection device 10 described above.

[0051] Depending on the position of the object in the gesture, various sounds are output, and in this case, the gesture can be considered as a whole that outputs several sounds, or a gesture that corresponds to a certain sound can be considered as a single gesture. In other words, for example, the first gesture below can be considered as a gesture that starts with 1 and ends with 4, or "first gesture (part 2)" can be considered as a single gesture with a beginning and an end. In addition to the above gestures, for example, a gesture in which the object crosses diagonally in front of the gesture sensor 27 or a gesture in which the object draws a circle may be adopted. Also, for example, a gesture in which the object is faced directly to the gesture sensor 27 and then moved from a distant position toward the gesture sensor 27 (or, conversely, moved away from the gesture sensor 27) may be adopted. The second window 32 of the mirror 30 is configured to transmit visible light, making it possible to visually check the gesture sensor 27. However, it is preferable to arrange a transparent film having a transmission characteristic that reflects or absorbs light rays in the visible light range and transmits only infrared light, so that the gesture sensor 27 is not visible. The shapes and positions of the first and second windows 31, 32 can be changed as appropriate. Other processes executed by the control unit 35 exemplified in the above embodiment may be, for example, sound-related processes such as outputting sound (audio) and stopping it, changing the sound quality (tone), changing the number of sounds, changing the sound pattern (e.g. melody), and changing the voice of the guidance, all of which may be set to be possible by gestures. In the above embodiment, the movement directions of the hand gestures are set to four directions, up, down, left, and right, but the movement directions may be prepared in patterns other than these four. The sounds made during the gestures above are just examples, and sounds of other pitches may be used. In addition, the pitch was set to gradually increase as the object passed through the sensor's reaction range, but it may be set to a pattern where the sound output as the object moves increases or decreases as if there is a melody. In the above embodiment, when the user sets the sensor response range to, for example, normal (6 cm) or narrow (4 cm), the sensor response range is temporarily changed to a distance of 10 cm, which is easier for the user to operate, when an alarm is issued. However, such processing may be executed in cases other than when an alarm is issued. For example, when the time is issued, or when accident information is issued. In addition, in the above embodiment, the sensor response range can be set to three distances, but it may be set to two or four or more distances. In addition, after the sensor response range is temporarily changed to a distance of 10 cm, which is easier for the user to operate, the sensor response range is returned to normal (6 cm) or narrow (4 cm), but it does not have to be returned. The above-mentioned configuration of the radar detection device 10 is an example, and may be implemented in other shapes. For example, in the above, the gesture sensor 27 is disposed on the right side as viewed from the front, but this is mainly intended for users who make gestures with their left hand in right-hand drive vehicles. However, the gesture sensor 27 may be disposed on the left side as viewed from the front, taking into consideration vehicles with left-hand drive (that is, it may be disposed in a position that is easy to gesture in accordance with the vehicle). Alternatively, in the embodiment in which the gesture sensor 27 is disposed on the right side as viewed from the front, the gesture sensor 27 may be configured to be rotated 180 degrees within the plane of the mirror and attached to the vehicle's rearview mirror. In this case, the attachment direction may be determined by a user's setting or a G sensor, and it may be determined whether or not to rotate the gesture recognition direction 180 degrees to match the determined attachment direction. In addition to radar detection devices, the present invention may be applied to vehicle navigation devices (without radar detection functions) and drive recorder devices. The present invention may be applied to various devices other than those for vehicles. In the above description, the gesture sensor 27 detects an object by shining infrared light from an infrared emitting element on it and capturing the change in the reflected light with a light receiving element. However, a gesture sensor based on another principle, such as ultrasonic waves or changes in capacitance, may be used instead of infrared light. A protective sheet for protecting the mirror surface may be attached to the front of the mirror section 30. In this case, the user may use the device without removing it. However, the protective sheet may be partially peeled off over time, and the peeled protective sheet may swing within the detection range of the gesture sensor 27, causing an operation that may be mistaken for a gesture. This may cause a malfunction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 20, the protective sheet 62 may be attached only within the range away from the second window section 32, or the corners that are easily peeled off may be chamfered, preventing malfunctions and preventing the protective sheet 62 from interfering with the user's gesture, and eliminating the trouble of the user having to remove the peeled off part. In particular, it is preferable to provide a protective sheet on the entire surface of the mirror and to hollow out the protective sheet along the second window section 32. In this way, the entire surface of the mirror surface can be protected, and even if the user starts using the device without removing the protective sheet, the possibility of the movement of the protective sheet being recognized as a gesture can be reduced. The present invention may be applied to devices other than those mounted on vehicles. The present invention may be freely embodied in modified forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10...radar detection device as an electronic information system, 35...control unit as a control means.

Claims

1. 1. An electronic information system that performs a predetermined process based on a recognition result of a gesture by a user, The device is provided with a function to make the gesture sensor appear not to be in operation or a function to actually stop the gesture sensor when it is determined that an obstruction is present within a predetermined distance and that the obstruction has been stationary for a predetermined period of time or more. An electronic information system comprising:

2. The gesture sensor has a function of temporarily widening its response range during an alarm and returning it to its original response range after the alarm is completed.

2. The electronic information system according to claim 1 .

3. 3. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the electronic information system according to claim 1 or 2.

Images